CN110797172B

CN110797172B - Component carrier comprising an embedded inductor with inlay

Info

Publication number: CN110797172B
Application number: CN201910694976.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 格拉尔德·魏斯
Original assignee: AT&S Austria Technologie und Systemtechnik AG
Current assignee: AT&S Austria Technologie und Systemtechnik AG
Priority date: 2018-07-30
Filing date: 2019-07-30
Publication date: 2024-05-07
Anticipated expiration: 2039-07-30
Also published as: US20200035396A1; US11398334B2; CN110797172A; EP3605564A1

Abstract

Component carriers, electrical devices, and methods of manufacturing component carriers are provided. The component carrier includes: a stack comprising at least one electrically conductive layer structure and/or at least one electrically insulating layer structure; an inductor disposed at least partially in the stack and comprising a conductive coil structure wound around the coil opening, wherein at least a portion of the magnetic core at least partially fills the coil opening, and a magnetic core, wherein at least a portion of at least one of the coil structure and the magnetic core is configured as an inlay embedded in the stack.

Description

Component carrier comprising an embedded inductor with inlay

Technical Field

The invention relates to a method of manufacturing a component carrier, and an electrical device.

Background

With increased product functionality of component carriers equipped with one or more electronic components, increased miniaturization of such components and increased number of components to be connected with the component carrier, such as a printed circuit board, more and more powerful array-like components or packages with several components are employed, which components or packages have a plurality of contacts or connection means, the space between the contacts being even smaller. In particular, the component carrier should have mechanical robustness and electrical reliability to be able to operate even under severe conditions.

In particular, efficiently connecting components to component carriers is a problem. Especially for component carriers to which inductors should be connected.

Disclosure of Invention

It may be desirable to efficiently connect the inductor with the component carrier.

According to an example embodiment of the invention, there is provided a component carrier comprising: a stack comprising at least one electrically conductive layer structure and/or at least one electrically insulating layer structure; an inductor at least partially disposed in the stack and comprising a conductive coil structure and a magnetic core, the conductive coil structure being wound around the coil opening, wherein at least a portion of the magnetic core at least partially fills the coil opening, wherein at least a portion (particularly only a portion) of at least one of the coil structure and the magnetic core is configured as an inlay embedded in the stack.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, an electrical device is provided, wherein the electrical device comprises a support body (e.g. a printed circuit board) and a component carrier having the above-mentioned features and being mounted on and/or in the support body.

According to yet another example embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a component carrier, wherein the method comprises: providing a stack comprising at least one electrically conductive layer structure and/or at least one electrically insulating layer structure; at least partially disposing an inductor in the stack; forming the inductor to have a conductive coil structure wound around the coil opening and a magnetic core, wherein at least a portion of the magnetic core at least partially fills the coil opening; and embedding at least a portion (particularly only a portion) of at least one of the coil structure and the magnetic core as an inlay in the stack.

In the context of the present application, the term "component carrier" may particularly denote any support structure capable of accommodating one or more components thereon and/or therein for providing mechanical support and/or electrical connection. In other words, the component carrier may be configured as a mechanical and/or electrical carrier for the component. In particular, the component carrier may be one of a printed circuit board, an organic interposer, and an IC (integrated circuit) substrate. The component carrier may also be a hybrid board combining different ones of the above mentioned types of component carriers.

In the context of the present application, the term "inductor" may particularly denote a passive (particularly double ended, e.g. inductive, or four ended, e.g. transformer) electrical component capable of storing energy in a magnetic field when a current flows through the inductor. The inductor may include a conductive wire wound around a magnetic core in a coil shape.

In the context of the present application, the term "coil structure" may particularly denote an at least partially electrically conductive structure, which may be constituted by one or more connected electrically conductive elements defining one or more windings. The windings may have a circular shape, a rectangular shape, any other polygonal shape, etc.

In the context of the present application, the term "coil opening" may particularly refer to a through hole extending through the interior of one or more windings of the coil structure.

In the context of the present application, the term "core" may particularly denote a body of magnetic material, which may be constituted by one or more connected or spaced apart magnetic elements. The magnetic core may increase the magnetic field and thus the inductance of the inductor. For example, such a core may comprise or consist of iron and/or ferrite.

In the context of the present application, the term "inlay" may particularly refer to a prefabricated component which may be inserted as a whole into the cavity of the stack of layer structures. Thus, the inlay can be manufactured as required for its function, without being limited by the boundary conditions of the component carrier manufacturing process.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a component carrier is provided, which has at least one embedded inductor, which is formed by a magnetic core and a coil structure, the magnetic core being arranged at least partially within the coil structure. Very advantageously, one or both of the coil structure and the magnetic core may be implemented at least in part as a pre-manufactured inlay to be inserted as a whole into a respective cavity of a layer stack made of component carrier material, in particular printed circuit board material. By taking this measure, the inlay or inlays forming part of the inductor can be prefabricated without any restrictions related to the component carrier manufacturing process (e.g. with respect to materials supported by the PCB process, thermal stability, etc.). Advantageously, such one or more inlays may be inserted into any free area of the component carrier, allowing the component carrier designer a high degree of flexibility and freedom to design embedded inductors. This is due to the fact that: the inductor can have almost all shapes and the freedom of shape is high when embedding the inductor in the component carrier. Furthermore, relatively high inductance values can be achieved by the described manufacturing process. Furthermore, the manufacturing architecture allows for high integration density, especially for applications such as power electronic converters (e.g. DC/DC converters, DC/AC converters). In addition, the manufacturing process is compatible with the formation of coupled inductors, i.e., multiple inductors in functional relationship within a common component carrier. This also allows, for example, the PCB transformer to be manufactured with complex shapes. The power electronic module can also be manufactured by the process. The inductivity of the embedded inductor in the component carrier can be adjusted freely and accurately.

With respect to electrical devices, the described component carrier with embedded inductors may advantageously be used as a component that may be mounted on or in a support, such as another component carrier. In other words, more specifically, the finished component carrier itself with embedded inductors may be used as a Surface Mounted Device (SMD) or embedded component.

Other example embodiments of methods, component carriers and electrical devices are described below.

Different example embodiments relate to different configurations: in one embodiment, the coil structure is partially or fully constructed as an inlay, while the magnetic core forms part of the laminate stack. In another embodiment, the coil structure forms part of a laminated stack, while the magnetic core is constructed partly or entirely as an inlay. In yet another embodiment, both the coil structure and the magnetic core are partially or fully constructed as inlays.

In an embodiment, at least a portion of at least one of the coil structure and the magnetic core forms part of the laminate stack, rather than being configured as an inlay embedded in the stack. Thus, while one of the coil structure and the magnetic core may be a separate inlay, it may also be advantageous that the other of the coil structure and the magnetic core forms part of a stack of layer structures of the component carrier. The latter may then synergistically also serve as a constituent of the embedded inductor. For example, patterned copper foil and vertical through-connectors made of copper between and/or in resin layers (optionally including glass fibers) of the component carrier stack may be combined to form one or more windings in the component carrier material. The part of the component carrier stack that is not used for other tasks can thus be functionalized to form part of the embedded inductor. With this architecture, a hybrid inductor embedded in the component carrier may be provided, wherein a part of the hybrid inductor is formed by a specially configurable inlay, and another part of the hybrid inductor may be formed by the component carrier material (in particular a layer stack thereof). This concept can combine the advantages of a specially configurable inlay with efficient co-operative use of parts of the stack for providing different parts of the inductor functionality.

In an embodiment, the coil structure comprises interconnected conductive elements surrounded by a dielectric matrix. In particular, the conductive element may be made of copper (e.g. in an embodiment in which the inductor is embedded in the PCB board) or aluminum (e.g. in an embodiment in which the inductor is embedded in the IMS board). The dielectric matrix may be, for example, prepreg or FR4.

In an embodiment, the electrically conductive element comprises a planar element in a plane parallel to one or more planes of the at least one electrically insulating layer structure of the stack, and comprises a vertical element connecting the planar elements and extending perpendicular to the plane of the planar elements. The planar element may be implemented as a patterned copper foil. The vertical elements may be copper filled laser vias, copper filled mechanically drilled vias, copper pillars, copper inlays, etc. Illustratively, the one or more windings may be formed from planar elements, while the connections between adjacent windings may be formed from vertical elements.

In an embodiment, the coil structure has a loop shape. Such a ring may be a circumferential structure defining a through hole. The shape of the ring may be, for example, circular or rectangular.

In an embodiment, the magnetic core comprises ferrite material. The ferrite may be a ceramic material that may be made by mixing and burning a high specific gravity iron oxide (Fe ₂O₃) blended with one or more additional metal elements of a low specific gravity, such as manganese, nickel, etc. The ferrite may be electrically insulating and ferrite dielectrics. In particular, the magnetic core may comprise soft ferrites, which have a low coercivity, so that they can easily change their magnetization and serve as conductors for the magnetic field. This may be particularly advantageous for applications such as high frequency inductors and transformers. The solid ferrite structure may be formed by sintering ferrite powder. Ferrite structures may also be fabricated using ferrite plates or sheets. However, in other example embodiments, the core may be made of other magnetic materials, particularly ferromagnetic or ferrimagnetic or paramagnetic materials.

In an embodiment, the magnetic core comprises a material having a permeability (μ _r) of at least 10, in particular at least 100. For example, the magnetic permeability of the ferrite sheet may be in the range between 300 and 400. The permeability of the ferrite paste may be in the range between 10 and 60.

In an embodiment, the magnetic core comprises a plurality of individual magnets. Such magnets may in particular be one or more magnet sheets, one or more magnet posts and/or one or more magnet paste structures. This provides a variable build set for component carrier designers to tailor the magnetic properties of the component carrier to the requirements of a particular application. For example, the embedded inductor may be formed by stacking a plurality of magnets, particularly two or three layers of magnets. Additionally or alternatively, a plurality of magnets may also be arranged in the same layer. For example, the magnetic pillars may be cut (e.g., by laser cutting) based on magnetic flakes. The magnetic circuit may be closed by applying a magnetic paste, for example by screen printing, in particular by filling the remaining air gap.

In an embodiment, the magnets are connected to each other to form a closed magnetic circuit. To obtain a closed magnetic circuit, the air gap between adjacent magnets may be filled with a ferromagnetic paste or the like. The closed uninterrupted magnetic circuit or ring structure may be formed by the material of the magnet, in particular ferrite, as described. When the magnetic circuit is closed, it can be ensured that the magnetic field extends substantially within the material of the magnetic core without weakening, which may be advantageous for applications where magnetic losses are not desired.

In another embodiment, the magnets are connected to each other to form an open magnetic circuit with at least one nonmagnetic gap therebetween. In particular, the at least one non-magnetic gap may comprise an air gap, a gap filled with a material of the electrically insulating layer structure, etc. Thus, the at least one non-magnetic gap may be intentionally and selectively formed in the interior of the component carrier, more particularly in the interior of the inductor. Such a non-magnetic gap may be an air gap, i.e. a volume free of solid material. However, the non-magnetic gap may also be formed from a non-magnetic solid material, in particular an electrically insulating material (in particular, but not exclusively, an electrically insulating material of the stack). When the magnetic circuit is broken by the nonmagnetic gap, a stray magnetic field may be formed around the inductor. This may be desirable in certain applications where it is desired that there is also a magnetic field of sufficiently high strength around the component carrier (e.g., for a wireless charger, allowing the electronic device to be charged around the component carrier by inductive coupling such that stray magnetic fields charge the electronic device).

More generally, adjusting the combination of one or more closed magnetic circuits and one or more open magnetic circuits due to the formation or omission of one or more non-magnetic gaps may allow for spatially controlling the magnetic properties of the component carrier.

In an embodiment, the at least one non-magnetic gap separates adjacent ones of the magnets by at least 75 μm. It has been demonstrated that at these dimensions, the magnetic properties in and/or around the component carrier can be controlled significantly.

In an embodiment, at least a portion of the surface of the magnetic core has a roughness Ra of less than 4 μm, in particular less than 2 μm. The value of the roughness Ra may preferably be less than 500nm. The roughness of the surface may be defined and measured as the average height Ra of the center line. Ra is the arithmetic average of all distances of the profile from the centerline. For example, the measurement can be carried out in accordance with DIN 4768. The mentioned lower roughness value due to the precisely defined cutting surface can be obtained by laser cutting the magnet to form at least one magnetic element of the magnetic core. With such a smooth and precisely defined cutting surface, the magnetic properties of the magnetic core can be adjusted with high accuracy. Magnets formed by laser machining ferrite suffer from this disadvantage much less than mechanical grinding of ferrite, which may result in an increase in loss coefficient and a decrease in permeability.

In an embodiment, the component carrier is configured as a power converter or inverter, in particular as one of a DC/DC converter and a DC/AC converter. A DC/DC (or DC-to-DC) converter may refer to an electronic or electromechanical device that converts Direct Current (DC) power from one voltage level to another. A DC/AC (or DC to AC) converter may refer to an electronic device or circuit that changes direct current to Alternating Current (AC).

In an embodiment, the component carrier is configured as a wireless charger for wirelessly charging the electronic device. In such an embodiment, the electronic device to be charged with electrical energy may be placed in an environment of a component carrier with an embedded inverter. The magnetic field of the inductor in the exterior of the component carrier may then be coupled into an electronic device for wirelessly charging the electronic device (e.g., a mobile phone).

In an embodiment, the component carrier comprises at least one further inductor arranged at least partially in the stack and comprising and a further magnetic core, the further electrically conductive coil structure being wound around the further coil opening. At least a portion of the further magnetic core at least partially fills the further coil opening. Thus, multiple (functionally cooperating or functionally independent) inductors may be embedded in the same component carrier. Preferably, but not necessarily, at least one of the further coil structure and the further magnetic core is configured as an inlay embedded in the stack.

In an embodiment, the inductor and the at least one further inductor are magnetically coupled. For example, the inductor and the further inductor may be configured as transformers. To this end, the inductor and the further inductor may cooperate to transfer electrical energy between the different circuits by electromagnetic induction. In other embodiments, three or even six inductors of the component carrier may be magnetically coupled, for example for a DC-to-DC converter, a DC-to-AC converter or a motor drive.

In an embodiment, at least a part of the magnetic core of the inductor and at least a part of the magnetic core of the at least one further inductor are formed as a unitary structure, in particular as a common magnetic sheet. This construction is simple to manufacture, involves only low magnetic losses, and allows for a compact design (e.g. compare fig. 5).

In an embodiment, the magnetic core comprises a magnetic leg extending through the coil opening and comprises a magnetic sheet extending laterally beyond the magnetic leg and extending at least partially over the coil structure. These components are present in all embodiments of fig. 1 to 7.

In an embodiment, the magnetic core comprises a further magnetic sheet extending beyond the magnetic pillar in a lateral direction and at least partially over the coil structure, wherein the magnetic pillar is arranged between the magnetic sheet and the further magnetic sheet. Thus, a dog bone shaped structure may be obtained (e.g., compare fig. 4).

In an embodiment, the magnetic core comprises at least one further magnetic leg extending parallel to the magnetic leg, wherein the coil structure is arranged between the magnetic leg and the at least one further magnetic leg. In this configuration, a circumferentially closed magnetic core may be obtained (e.g., compare fig. 1).

In an embodiment, the component carrier comprises at least one component embedded in the component carrier. Such components may be active or passive components, for example. The component capable of controlling the current by another electrical signal may be referred to as an active component (e.g., a semiconductor chip). A component that cannot control current through another electrical signal may be referred to as a passive device. Resistors or capacitors are examples of passive components. In particular, one or more (in particular active and/or passive) components may be accommodated between the windings of the coil structure, more generally in a suitable volume of the embedded inductor. Still more generally, the at least one component may be embedded in at least one of the group consisting of the stack, the coil structure, and the magnetic core.

For example, the at least one component may comprise a resistor. It is also possible that the at least one component comprises an adjustable resistor or a transistor (i.e. in particular a switching resistor). The at least one component may be located directly beside the coil structure, in particular in direct physical contact with the coil structure. In other words, the embedded component may be located directly adjacent to the coil structure or windings thereof. For example, the at least one component may be embedded between windings of a coil structure of the inductor.

The at least one component may be selected from the group consisting of: a non-conductive inlay, a conductive inlay (such as a metal inlay, preferably comprising copper or aluminum), a heat transfer unit (e.g., a heat pipe), a light guide element (e.g., an optical waveguide or light pipe connection device), an electronic component, or a combination thereof. For example, the components may be active electronic components, passive electronic components, electronic chips, memory devices (e.g., DRAM or another data storage), filters, integrated circuits, signal processing components, power management components, optoelectronic interface elements, voltage converters (e.g., DC/DC converters or AC/DC converters), cryptographic components, transmitters and/or receivers, electromechanical transducers, sensors, actuators, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), microprocessors, capacitors, resistors, inductors, batteries, switches, cameras, antennas, logic chips, and energy harvesting units. However, other components may be embedded in the component carrier. For example, a magnetic element may be used as the member. Such magnetic elements may be permanent magnetic elements (such as ferromagnetic elements, antiferromagnetic elements, or ferrimagnetic elements such as ferrite cores) or may be paramagnetic elements. However, the component may also be another component carrier (e.g., a printed circuit board, a substrate, or an interposer) in board-in-board configuration. The component may be surface mounted on the component carrier and/or may be embedded within it. In addition, other components, particularly those that generate and emit electromagnetic radiation and/or are sensitive to electromagnetic radiation propagating from the environment, may also be used as components.

In an embodiment, the component carrier comprises a stack of at least one electrically insulating layer structure and at least one electrically conductive layer structure. For example, the component carrier may be a laminate of the above-described electrically insulating layer structure and electrically conductive structure, in particular formed by applying mechanical pressure and, if desired, thermal energy support. The mentioned stack may provide a plate-like component carrier that is capable of providing a large mounting surface for other components and nonetheless is very thin and compact. The term "layer structure" may particularly refer to a continuous layer, a patterned layer or a plurality of discontinuous islands in a common plane.

In an embodiment, the component carrier is shaped as a plate. This contributes to a compact design, wherein the component carrier still provides a large basis for mounting components thereon. Furthermore, a bare wafer, which is an example of embedded electronic components in particular, can be conveniently embedded in a thin plate such as a printed circuit board thanks to its small thickness.

In an embodiment, the component carrier is configured as one of the group consisting of a printed circuit board and a substrate (in particular an IC substrate).

In the context of the present application, the term "printed circuit board" (PCB) may particularly refer to a component carrier (which may be plate-shaped (i.e. planar), three-dimensionally curvilinear (e.g. when manufactured using 3D printing), or it may have any other shape) which is formed by laminating several electrically conductive layer structures together with several electrically insulating layer structures, e.g. by applying pressure, if desired, also accompanied by a supply of thermal energy. As a preferred material for PCB technology, the electrically conductive layer structure is made of copper, whereas the electrically insulating layer structure may comprise resin and/or glass fibres, so-called prepreg or FR4 material. The individual conductive layer structures may be connected to each other in a desired manner, for example by forming a via through the laminate by laser drilling or mechanical drilling, and by filling the above-mentioned via with a conductive material, in particular copper, to form a via as a via connection. In addition to one or more components that may be embedded in a printed circuit board, the printed circuit board is typically configured to house the one or more components on one surface or both opposing surfaces of the board-like printed circuit board. They may be attached to the respective main surfaces by welding. The dielectric portion of the PCB may be composed of a resin with reinforcing fibers, such as glass fibers.

In the context of the present application, the term "substrate" may particularly denote a small component carrier having substantially the same size as the component (in particular electronic component) to be mounted thereon. More specifically, a substrate is understood to be a much higher density carrier for electrical connection devices or electrical networks and component carriers comparable to Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) but with connection devices arranged laterally and/or vertically. The lateral connection is for example a conductive path, while the vertical connection may be for example a borehole. These lateral and/or vertical connections are arranged within the base plate and may be used to provide electrical, thermal and/or mechanical connection of housed or non-housed components (such as bare wafers), in particular IC chips, to a printed circuit board or an intermediate printed circuit board. Thus, the term "substrate" also includes "IC substrate". The dielectric portion of the substrate may be composed of a resin with reinforcing spheres, such as glass spheres.

The substrate or interposer may include or consist of at least one layer of glass, silicon, ceramic, and/or organic material (e.g., resin). The substrate or interposer may also include a latent curable or dry etchable organic material, such as an epoxy-based laminate film, or a polymeric compound, such as polyimide, polybenzoxazole, or benzocyclobutene.

In an embodiment, the at least one electrically insulating layer structure comprises at least one of the group consisting of: resins such as reinforced or non-reinforced resins, for example epoxy resins or bismaleimide triazine resins, more particularly FR-4 or FR-5, cyanate esters, polyphenylene derivatives, glass (in particular glass fibers, glass spheres, laminated glass, glass-like materials), prepregs, latent curable dielectric materials, polyimides, polyamides, liquid Crystal Polymers (LCPs), epoxy-based laminated films, polytetrafluoroethylene (teflon), ceramics and metal oxides. Reinforcing materials made of glass (multiple layer glass), such as mesh, fibers or spheres, for example, may also be used. While prepreg, FR4 or epoxy-based laminate films or photoimageable dielectrics are generally preferred, other materials may be used. For high frequency applications, high frequency materials such as polytetrafluoroethylene, liquid crystal polymers, and/or cyanate ester resins may be implemented in the component carrier as electrically insulating layer structures.

In an embodiment, the at least one conductive layer structure comprises at least one of the group consisting of copper, aluminum, nickel, silver, gold, palladium, and tungsten. While copper is generally preferred, other materials or coated versions thereof are also possible, particularly coated with a superconducting material such as graphene.

In an embodiment, the component carrier is a laminate type component carrier. In this embodiment, the component carrier is a composite of a multi-layer structure stacked and joined together by application of a compressive force, if desired accompanied by heat.

The aspects defined above and further aspects of the invention are apparent from the examples of embodiment to be described hereinafter and are explained with reference to these examples of embodiment.

Drawings

Fig. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a component carrier with an embedded inductor having a closed magnetic core according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of a component carrier with an embedded inductor having an open magnetic core according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of an electrical device according to another exemplary embodiment of the invention comprising a support body and a component carrier with an embedded inductor mounted on the support body, wherein the electrical device is configured as a wireless charging device.

Fig. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of a component carrier with an embedded inductor with an air gap according to another exemplary embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of a component carrier with a plurality of magnetically coupled inductors according to another exemplary embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of a component carrier with embedded inductors and cooperating active components according to another exemplary embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 7 shows a cross-sectional view of a component carrier with two inductors coupled to form a transformer according to another example embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 8 shows a plan view of a component carrier with embedded inductors according to another exemplary embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 9 shows a plan view of a component carrier with three coupled inductors according to another exemplary embodiment of the invention.

Detailed Description

The illustrations in the figures are schematic. In different drawings, similar or identical elements are provided with the same reference numerals.

Exemplary embodiments will be described in further detail, and some basic considerations based on which exemplary embodiments of the present invention develop, will be summarized before referring to the drawings.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a component carrier is provided having an embedded inductor with an ultra-flexible structure. Such embedded inductors can advantageously be manufactured with a high degree of freedom.

Magnetic materials (e.g., ferrite beads) may be used in combination with copper windings to form chokes, also known as inductors. Such an inductor may be designed to have a high inductance value at a relatively small physical size.

According to an exemplary embodiment, component carriers (particularly PCBs) having inductors of substantially any desired shape may be built. Such an inductor may include a coil structure (which may be formed as a number of connected copper windings) and a magnetic core with one or more pre-formed ferrite portions and optionally ferrite paste. More generally, the ferrite structure may be any suitable magnetic structure capable of increasing the inductance of the embedded inductor. One or more non-magnetic regions along the magnetic material that interrupt the closed loop magnetic circuit, such as air gaps or electrically insulating regions of the component carrier, may be formed as part of the embedded inductor at any desired location where they are needed for a particular application.

Accordingly, exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide an embedding process using a multipart core that can be freely defined according to a desired application. With such a manufacturing architecture, a component carrier with one or more embedded inlays may be provided to achieve an inductor function.

Analysis has shown that for a particular application, one ferrite ring may be too few to form an inductor with suitable inductance values for certain applications, such as an inductor operating at high currents of up to 30A or higher. The basic goal of such an application may be to construct an inductor with small physical dimensions and high inductance values. In order to enable the minimum height to meet the requirements of the component carrier technology, the inductive core material may be used to create any desired geometry. Around such a core, copper windings may be introduced to form an inductor. This brings the following advantages: the freedom is high during the construction of inductors combined with significant integration methods to form small power supply circuits.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the PCB or another component carrier may be used to construct an inductor of substantially any desired shape. For example, an E-shaped core may be formed that is divided into three embedded core materials and bonded together by a substrate (e.g., prepreg). Basically, every combination of embedding and lamination involving cavities (which may be formed, for example, using a release layer with poor adhesion to the surrounding component carrier material) can be used for such an embodiment.

Alternatively, non-magnetic regions such as air gaps may be introduced into the core of the embedded inductor to fine tune the magnetic properties of the component carrier with the embedded inductor. Advantageously, the minimum air gap may be 75 μm. For inductors without any air gaps, ferrite paste material may be printed prior to the pressing cycle.

As winding or coil structure, a prefabricated PCB inlay may advantageously be used. For example, such a coil structure may be implemented as a PCB (in particular with only two layers). Alternatively, the core structure may be implemented as an IC (integrated circuit) substrate, thereby realizing a higher number of layers. The inlay referred to may be used in board construction.

For applications such as power converters with extremely high integration ratios, components such as wafers may also be embedded in inlays within ferrite inductors. This may enable a minimum package size limited only by the desired inductance value.

An advantage of exemplary embodiments of the present invention is that the embedded inductor in the component carrier may have almost any shape, such that the freedom of design shape is high for the component carrier designer. Furthermore, high inductance values are possible with the described manufacturing procedure. Furthermore, a high integration density may be obtained, which may be advantageous for applications such as power electronic converters, for example.

Fig. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a plate-shaped laminate component carrier 100 with an embedded inductor 108 having a closed magnetic core 114 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

The component carrier 100 is here embodied as a Printed Circuit Board (PCB). The component carrier 100 comprises a laminate stack 102 consisting of an electrically conductive layer structure 104 and an electrically insulating layer structure 106. For example, the conductive layer structure 104 may include patterned copper foil and vertical through connections, such as copper filled laser vias. The electrically insulating layer structure 106 may comprise a resin, such as an epoxy resin, optionally including reinforcing particles (e.g., glass fibers or glass spheres) therein. For example, the electrically insulating layer structure 106 may be made of prepreg or FR 4. The layer structures 104, 106 may be joined by lamination, i.e. by application of pressure and/or heat.

The inductor 108 is embedded in the stack 102. For this purpose, one or more cavities may be formed in the stack 102, and respective constituent parts of the inductor 108 may be inserted into such cavities. For example, such cavities may be formed by machining the stack 102, such as by milling or drilling by machining or laser machining. Such cavities may also be formed by laminating a release layer inside the stack 102. Such a release layer may be made of a material (e.g., a waxy material or polytetrafluoroethylene) that has poor adhesion properties to the surrounding component carrier material. Subsequently, a piece of material of the stack 102 may be cut over the release layer, for example by circumferential cutting using a laser or a mechanical drilling tool. Then, due to the poor adhesion between the release layer and the adjacent material of the stack 102, the block can simply be removed from the stack 102 so that a cavity is obtained.

As can be seen from fig. 1, the embedded inductor 108 comprises in particular two constituent parts, namely a coil structure 110 and a magnetic core 114. The conductive coil structure 110 is wound with one or more windings around the central coil opening 112. A portion of the magnetic core 114 fills the coil opening 112, while another portion of the magnetic core 114 laterally and vertically surrounds the coil structure 110.

In the illustrated embodiment, the coil structure 110 includes interconnected conductive elements 116 surrounded by a dielectric matrix 118.

The dielectric matrix 118 may electrically isolate the conductive elements 116 from each other and, thus, may facilitate forming one or more windings of the coil structure 110. The dielectric matrix 118 may be made of, for example, a resin (such as an epoxy resin) and optionally include reinforcing particles (such as glass fibers or glass spheres). In one embodiment, the dielectric matrix 118 may form a portion of the electrically insulating layer structure 106 of the stack 102.

The conductive element 116 may be made of copper so as to be suitably compatible with component carrier (particularly PCB) manufacturing techniques. More specifically, the conductive element 116 includes a planar element 120 extending in a horizontal plane. The planar element 120 may be formed by patterning a copper layer. As can be seen from fig. 1, the planar elements 120 extend in parallel planes (wherein each of these planes corresponds to a distributed winding of the coil structure 110), which are also parallel to the planes of the stacked electrically insulating layer structure 106 of the stack 102. The planar elements 120 may be connected to each other to form one or more windings of the coil structure 110. In one embodiment, the planar element 120 may even form part of the layer-type conductive layer structure 104, i.e. be implemented as a corresponding manufactured part of the stack 102. The conductive element 116 additionally includes a vertical element 122, such as a copper filled laser via. Each vertical element 122 may mechanically and electrically connect planar elements 120 of adjacent layers. Thus, the planar element 120 may in particular extend perpendicularly to the plane of the planar element 120. The vertical elements 122 may electrically and mechanically connect adjacent windings in different (in particular parallel) planes, thereby completing the formation of the coil structure 110. In one embodiment, the vertical elements 122 may even form part of the conductive layer structure 104 implemented as a vertical through connection, i.e. as a corresponding manufactured part of the stack 102.

In the depicted embodiment, the planar element 120 and the vertical element 122 form part of the stack 102, and the coil structure 110 forms part of the component carrier material. In such an embodiment, the coil structure 110 may be manufactured in the region of the stack 102, which is not required for the wiring function of the component carrier 100. However, in another embodiment, the coil structures 110 with their planar elements 120 and their vertical elements 122 may be implemented as inlays, i.e. as prefabricated components to be embedded in the stack 102. For example, the coil structure 110 may also be a small component carrier (e.g., PCB or IC substrate) embedded in the stack 102 in an in-board configuration.

Although not shown in the cross-sectional view of fig. 1, the coil structure 110 may have a ring shape externally defined by one or more windings formed by the conductive element 116 and having an internal through hole as the coil opening 112. Such a ring may have a circular ring shape or a rectangular ring shape.

The magnetic core 114 of the embedded inductor 108 comprises a soft magnetic (in particular ferrimagnetic or ferromagnetic) material having a sufficiently high magnetic permeability (e.g., at least 10) to obtain a high inductance value of the inductor 108. Preferably, the magnetic core 114 comprises ferrite material. The ferrite material may include a solid first ferrite component (see reference numerals 124, 126 described below) and a paste-state second ferrite component (see reference numeral 128 described below). As can be seen in fig. 1, the magnetic core 114 may include a plurality of individual magnets that may be connected to one another to form the magnetic core 114 with a desired shape, size, and location. In the illustrated embodiment, the magnets forming the core 114 include: two magnetic flakes 124 in two parallel planes; three magnetic posts 126 all disposed in a third plane located between two planes of the magnetic sheet 124; and six sections of magnetic paste 128 closing gaps between adjacent ones of the magnets in the three planes. Due to the configuration of the magnets shown, and in particular due to the magnetic paste 128 bridging the magnetic sheet 124 and the magnetic post 126, the various magnets are magnetically connected to one another, thereby forming a closed magnetic loop path therebetween without a non-magnetic gap (such as an air gap). By taking such measures, it is ensured that the magnetic field remains substantially entirely inside the core 114, with low magnetic losses.

More specifically, the magnetic core 114 of fig. 1 includes a central magnetic leg 126 extending through the coil opening 112 in a central plane. In the bottom layer, the bottom magnetic sheet 124 extends laterally beyond the magnetic post 126 and also laterally beyond the coil structure 110. In addition, the magnetic core 114 of fig. 1 includes a top magnetic sheet 124 that extends in a plane above the central magnetic leg 126 and laterally beyond the coil structure 110. In the vertical direction, the center magnetic post 126 is disposed between the bottom magnetic sheet 124 and the top magnetic sheet 124. In addition, the magnetic core 114 includes two further transverse magnetic legs 126 which extend parallel to the central magnetic leg 126 and which enclose the latter in the transverse direction. All three magnetic pillars 126 are arranged coplanar, i.e., in a common plane. The coil structure 110 is arranged in a lateral or horizontal direction between the central magnetic pillar 126 and the two lateral magnetic pillars 126.

The magnetic core 114 is manufactured with the focus that the magnetic sheet 124 may be attached to the other layer structures 104, 106 of the stack 102 during lamination to form the stack 102. In other words, the magnetic sheet 124 may be processed in terms of manufacturing into a further layer structure in addition to the layer structures 104, 106 of the stack 102.

In contrast, the leg 126 of the core 114 may be cut from a larger magnet (such as the sheet 124) by laser cutting. As a result of such laser cutting, the surface properties of the magnetic pillars 126 can be well defined and can be cut without significantly increasing the loss factor and without significantly decreasing the permeability (as may occur with conventional grinding procedures), substantially without surface contours, and with low surface roughness. The magnetic properties of the embedded inductor 108 can be precisely adjusted. As a result of such a laser cutting procedure, the cut surface of the magnetic post 126 may have a roughness Ra preferably less than 500 nm. During manufacturing of the component carrier 100, the magnetic post 126 may be considered an embedded component or inlay, i.e. may be embedded in a cavity formed in the stack 102.

The magnetic paste 128 (particularly ferrite paste comprising printable ferrite powder, optionally in a solvent or the like) is of interest in that the latter can be applied by printing the magnetic paste 128 on the magnetic pillars 126 and/or on desired surface portions of the magnetic sheet 124. The interconnection between the magnetic paste 128 on the one hand and the magnetic pillars 126 or magnetic flakes 124 on the other hand can then be achieved in the lamination process described above.

Very advantageously, the coil structure 110 and/or the magnetic core 114 may be configured as one or more inlays embedded in the stack 102. Such inlays may be prefabricated and may be inserted into the stack according to a component embedding manufacturing process. By pre-manufacturing such one or more inlays, the properties of the respective inlay may be selectively and specifically adapted to the functional requirements of the magnetic core 114 and/or the coil structure 110. In one embodiment, at least some of the constituent parts of the described magnetic core 114 may be provided as inlays, in particular one or more magnetic posts 126. In the embodiment of fig. 1, three inlays are provided in the form of three magnetic posts 126. It is also possible that the coil structure 110 is likewise prefabricated as a ring structure and is inserted into a corresponding cavity of the stack 102 during the manufacturing process. In such an embodiment, the coil structure 110 may be, for example, a small PCB or IC substrate embedded in the stack 102 in a board-in-board configuration.

Alternatively, however, it is also possible that at least a part of the coil structure 110 or at least a part of the magnetic core 114 forms part of the stack 102. For example, the magnetic flakes 124 may be processed into layers or layer structures in a lamination process during which the layer structures 104, 106 are connected by lamination. Additionally or alternatively, the coil structure 110 may form part of the stack 102. In such embodiments, the conductive element 116 may be configured as part of the conductive layer structure 104, and the dielectric matrix 118 may be configured as part of the electrically insulating layer structure 106.

The construction of fig. 1 with a closed magnetic core 114 may be used as a basis for manufacturing a high frequency coil or transformer. In particular, the component carrier 100 of fig. 1 may also be used as a basis for manufacturing a power converter, such as a DC/DC converter or a DC/AC converter.

Fig. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of a component carrier 100 with an embedded inductor 108 having an open magnetic core 114 according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Illustratively, the component carrier 100 may also be represented as an embodiment having an open E-core.

The embodiment of fig. 2 differs from the embodiment of fig. 1 in that the top magnetic sheet 124 is omitted from fig. 2. Correspondingly, three upper structures of the magnetic paste 128 are also omitted in fig. 2. For example, a magnetic cover (not shown) may be attached to the top of the component carrier 100 shown in fig. 2 in order to keep the upper side of the magnetic core 114 open.

The construction of the embodiment of fig. 2 is particularly simple.

Fig. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of an electrical device 150 according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention. The electrical device 150 includes a (e.g., PCB) support 152 and a component carrier 100 mounted thereon. The component carrier 100 is provided with an embedded inductor 108 and is configured as a wireless charging device. For example, an electronic device (not shown), such as a mobile phone, may be placed on top of the component carrier 100 such that inductive coupling between the electronic device and the inductor 108 may enable wireless charging of the electronic device based on magnetic energy provided by the inductor 108. Accordingly, the electric device 150 is configured as a wireless charger for wirelessly charging the electronic apparatus. The pads 190 of the support 152 may be electrically and mechanically connected to the pads 192 of the component carrier 100 by soldering, see solder structures 194.

The embodiment of fig. 3 has a particularly simple construction of the embedded inductor 108. In comparison to the embodiment of fig. 2, the transverse magnetic pillar 126 of the dispensing structure comprising the magnetic paste 128 is omitted according to fig. 3. According to fig. 3, the magnetic circuit is open at the top of the component carrier 100. Illustratively, the magnetic field lines thus also extend vertically above the component carrier 100 into the electronic device to be charged and back into the magnet sheet 124 on the bottom.

Fig. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of a component carrier 100 with an embedded single inductor 108 with a non-magnetic gap 130 according to another exemplary embodiment of the invention. The nonmagnetic gap 130 extends d in the vertical extending direction, which is preferably 75 μm or more. For example, the nonmagnetic gap 130 may be implemented as an air gap or a gap filled with a nonmagnetic material such as prepreg. In view of the nonmagnetic gap 130, the magnets (the center post 126 and the top magnetic sheet 124 in the illustrated embodiment) separated by the nonmagnetic gap 130 are only weakly magnetically coupled to each other to form an open magnetic circuit with the nonmagnetic gap 130.

The magnetic core 114 of the embodiment of fig. 4 has a dog-bone shape and is composed of two outer magnetic sheets 124, a central magnetic post 126 vertically sandwiched therebetween, and a magnetic paste 128 magnetically connecting the bottom magnetic sheet 124 and the central magnetic post 126.

Reference is now made to detail 180 in fig. 4, which schematically illustrates the surface profile of sidewall 182 of magnetic pillar 126. As already discussed in the description with reference to fig. 1, as a result of the laser cutting procedure performed to form the magnetic pillars 126 from the magnetic sheet 124 or any other ferrite precursor, the cut surface of the magnetic pillars 126 has a relatively low roughness Ra, preferably less than 2 μm, more preferably no more than 500 nm.

The construction of fig. 4 has the advantage that it can be manufactured in a low cost and compact design. With an asymmetric arrangement in the vertical direction in both aspects it is possible to influence the spatial behaviour of the inductor and also the characteristics of the inductance values according to the requirements of a certain application: one of the two aspects is a magnetic paste 128 closing the magnetic circuit on the bottom side, and the other of the two aspects is a non-magnetic gap 130 keeping the magnetic circuit on the top side open.

Fig. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of a component carrier 100 with three coupled inductors 108, 108', 108 "according to another exemplary embodiment of the invention. The three coupled inductors 108, 108', 108 "are arranged laterally side by side and in this way the magnetic fields of the inductors 108, 108', 108" are coupled by their laterally adjacent coil structures 110. For example, three inductors 108, 108', 108″ coupled in the manner shown in fig. 5 may be used for a DC-DC converter, a DC-AC converter, or a motor drive.

Thus, the component carrier 100 of fig. 5 comprises three inductors 108, 108', 108 "embedded in the vertically central region of the stack 102. As described above for inductor 108, each of the same further inductors 108', 108 "includes a respective further conductive coil structure 110', 110" (which may be implemented as a separate inlay or as part of layer stack 102) wound over a respective further coil opening 112', 112". Further, for each further inductor 108', 108", a further magnetic core 114', 114" is foreseen. Each of the magnetic cores 114, 114', 114 "includes a respective magnetic post 126 (which may be configured, for example, as an inlay) and a respective portion of each of the bottom magnetic sheet 124 and the top magnetic sheet 124 that are co-located for all three inductors 108, 108', 108" of the component carrier 100. Thus, the common magnetic sheet 124 of the cores 114, 114', 114 "of the inductors 108, 108', 108" is formed together as a unitary layer structure for all of the cores 114, 114', 114". Each leg 126 of the respective core 114, 114', 114 "fills the respective assigned coil opening 112, 112', 112".

However, by separately configuring the upper magnetic coupling and/or the lower magnetic coupling between the respective one of the magnetic posts 126 on the one hand and the respective portion of one of the magnetic sheets 124 on the other hand, the specific magnetic properties of the component carrier 100 can again be adjusted to be either magnetic closed or magnetic open. By providing such an interface with a nonmagnetic gap 130 (see top interface of inductor 108' and bottom interface of inductor 108 "), a magnetic open circuit configuration can be achieved. By providing such an interface with ferrite paste 128 or another suitable magnetic connection structure (see top and bottom interfaces of inductor 108, bottom interface of inductor 108' and top interface of inductor 108 "), a magnetic closed configuration may be achieved.

Fig. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of a component carrier 100 with embedded inductors 108 and two active components 132 according to another example embodiment of the invention.

As shown in fig. 6, the component carrier 100 includes two active components 132, which may be configured as semiconductor wafers embedded in the component carrier 100. More precisely, two active components 132 are embedded between windings of the coil structure 110 of the inductor 108. Additionally or alternatively, it is also possible to embed at least one passive component and/or at least one (in particular active or passive) component into another region of the component carrier 100, for example into the stack 102 or the magnetic core 114.

Fig. 7 shows a cross-sectional view of a component carrier 100 with two inductors 108, 108' coupled to form a transformer according to another exemplary embodiment of the invention. In contrast to fig. 6, only two magnetically coupled inductors 108, 108' are foreseen according to fig. 7. A completely closed magnetic circuit is achieved by the four illustrated structures of magnetic paste 128 to keep the overall magnetic losses very small.

Fig. 8 shows a plan view of a component carrier 100 with a single embedded inductor 108 according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The embodiment of fig. 8 is similar to the component carrier 100 of fig. 3.

Fig. 9 shows a plan view of a component carrier 100 with three coupled inductors 108, 108', 108 "according to another exemplary embodiment of the invention. The exact geometry may be adjusted according to the particular application.

Hereinafter, further aspects of the invention are disclosed:

Aspect 1. A component carrier (100), wherein the component carrier (100) comprises:

-a stack (102) comprising at least one electrically conductive layer structure (104) and/or at least one electrically insulating layer structure (106);

-an inductor (108) arranged at least partially in the stack (102) and comprising a conductive coil structure (110) and a magnetic core (114), the conductive coil structure being wound around a coil opening (112), wherein at least a portion of the magnetic core (114) at least partially fills the coil opening (112);

Wherein at least a portion of at least one of the coil structure (110) and the magnetic core (114) is configured as an inlay embedded in the stack (102).

Aspect 2. The component carrier (100) according to aspect 1, wherein at least a portion of at least one of the coil structure (110) and the magnetic core (114) forms part of the stack (102).

Aspect 3. The component carrier (100) according to aspect 1 or 2, wherein the coil structure (110) comprises interconnected conductive elements (116) in and/or on a dielectric matrix (118).

Aspect 4. The component carrier (100) according to aspect 3, wherein the electrically conductive element (116) comprises a planar element (120) in a plane parallel to one or more planes of the at least one electrically insulating layer structure (106) of the stack (102), and comprises one or more vertical elements (122) connecting the planar elements (120) and extending perpendicular to the plane of the planar elements (120).

Aspect 5. The component carrier (100) according to any one of aspects 1 to 4, wherein the coil structure (110) has a ring shape, in particular one of a circular ring shape and a rectangular ring shape.

Aspect 6. The component carrier (100) according to any one of aspects 1 to 5, wherein the magnetic core (114) comprises a material having a permeability of at least 10, in particular at least 100.

Aspect 7. The component carrier (100) according to any one of aspects 1 to 6, wherein the magnetic core (114) comprises a ferrite material.

Aspect 8. The component carrier (100) according to any one of aspects 1 to 7, wherein the magnetic core (114) comprises a plurality of individual magnets.

Aspect 9 the component carrier (100) of aspect 8, wherein the magnet comprises at least one of the group consisting of at least one magnetic sheet (124), at least one magnetic post (126), and at least one magnetic paste (128) structure.

Aspect 10. The component carrier (100) according to aspect 8 or 9, wherein the magnets are connected to each other to form a closed magnetic circuit.

Aspect 11. The component carrier (100) according to aspect 8 or 9, wherein the magnets are connected to each other to form an open magnetic circuit with at least two of the magnets in between being separated by at least one non-magnetic gap (130).

Aspect 12. The component carrier (100) according to aspect 11, wherein the at least one non-magnetic gap (130) comprises at least one of the group consisting of an air gap and a gap filled with an electrically insulating material, in particular a resin.

Aspect 13. The component carrier (100) according to aspects 11 or 12, wherein the at least one non-magnetic gap (130) separates adjacent ones of the magnets by at least 75 μm, in particular at least 150 μm.

Aspect 14. The component carrier (100) according to any one of aspects 1 to 13, wherein a surface of at least a portion of the magnetic core (114) has a roughness Ra of less than 4 μm, in particular less than 2 μm, more in particular not more than 500 nm.

Aspect 15. The component carrier (100) according to any of the aspects 1 to 14 is configured as a power converter, in particular one of a DC/DC converter and a DC/AC converter.

Aspect 16. The component carrier (100) according to any one of aspects 1 to 15, the component carrier being configured as a wireless charger for wirelessly charging an electronic device.

Aspect 17. The component carrier (100) according to any one of aspects 1 to 16, comprising at least one further inductor (108 ', 108 ") arranged at least partly in the stack (102), and comprising a further electrically conductive coil structure (110', 110") and a further magnetic core (114 ', 114 "), the further electrically conductive coil structure being wound around a further coil opening (112', 112"), wherein at least a portion of the further magnetic core (114 ', 114 ") at least partly fills the further coil opening (112', 112").

Aspect 18 the component carrier (100) of aspect 17, wherein at least a portion of at least one of the further coil structure (110 ', 110 ") and the further magnetic core (114', 114") is configured as an inlay embedded in the stack (102).

Aspect 19 the component carrier (100) according to aspects 17 or 18, wherein the inductor (108) and the at least one further inductor (108' ) are magnetically coupled.

Aspect 20. The component carrier (100) according to any one of the aspects 17 to 19, wherein the inductor (108) and the at least one further inductor (108', 108 ") are configured as transformers.

Aspect 21. The component carrier (100) according to any one of the aspects 17 to 20, wherein the inductor (108) and at least a part of the magnetic core (114, 114', 114 ") of the at least one further inductor (108', 108") are formed as a unitary structure, in particular configured as a common magnetic sheet (124).

Aspect 22. The component carrier (100) according to any one of aspects 1 to 21, wherein the magnetic core (114) comprises a magnetic post (126) extending through the coil opening (112) and comprises a magnetic sheet (124) extending beyond the magnetic post (126) in a lateral direction and extending at least partially over the coil structure (110).

Aspect 23 the component carrier (100) according to aspect 22, wherein the magnetic core (114) comprises a further magnetic sheet (124) extending beyond the magnetic pillar (126) in a lateral direction and at least partially over the coil structure (110), wherein the magnetic pillar (126) is vertically arranged between the magnetic sheet (124) and the further magnetic sheet (124).

Aspect 24. The component carrier (100) according to aspect 22 or 23, wherein the magnetic core (114) comprises at least one further magnetic leg (126) extending parallel to the magnetic leg (126), wherein the coil structure (110) is arranged between the magnetic leg (126) and the at least one further magnetic leg (126).

Aspect 25. The component carrier (100) according to any of the aspects 1 to 24, comprises at least one component (132) embedded in the component carrier (100).

Aspect 26 the component carrier (100) according to aspect 25, wherein the at least one component (132) is embedded in at least one of the group consisting of the stack (102), the coil structure (110) and the magnetic core (114).

Aspect 27 the component carrier (100) according to aspects 25 or 26, wherein the at least one component (132) is selected from the group consisting of: electronic components, non-conductive and/or conductive inlays, heat transfer units, photoconductive elements, energy harvesting units, active electronic components, passive electronic components, electronic chips, storage devices, filters, integrated circuits, signal processing components, power management components, optoelectronic interface components, voltage converters, cryptographic components, transmitters and/or receivers, electromechanical transducers, actuators, microelectromechanical systems, microprocessors, capacitors, resistors, inductors, accumulators, switches, cameras, antennas, magnetic elements, additional component carriers (100), and logic chips.

Aspect 28. The component carrier (100) according to any one of aspects 1 to 27, comprises at least one of the following features:

Wherein the at least one conductive layer structure (104) comprises at least one of the group consisting of: copper, aluminum, nickel, silver, gold, palladium, and tungsten, any of the mentioned materials optionally being coated with a superconducting material, such as graphene;

Wherein the at least one electrically insulating layer structure (106) comprises at least one of the group consisting of: resins, in particular reinforced or non-reinforced resins, such as epoxy resins or bismaleimide-triazine resins, FR-4, FR-5; cyanate ester; a polyphenylene derivative; glass; a prepreg material; polyimide; a polyamide; a liquid crystal polymer; an epoxy-based laminate film; polytetrafluoroethylene; ceramics and metal oxides;

wherein the component carrier (100) is shaped as a plate;

wherein the component carrier (100) is configured as one of the group consisting of a printed circuit board and a substrate;

wherein the component carrier (100) is configured as a laminate component carrier (100).

Aspect 29, an electrical device (150), wherein the electrical device (150) comprises:

-a support (152), in particular a printed circuit board;

The component carrier (100) according to any one of aspects 1 to 28 mounted on and/or in the support body (152).

Aspect 30. A method of manufacturing a component carrier (100), wherein the method comprises:

Providing a stack (102) comprising at least one electrically conductive layer structure (104) and/or at least one electrically insulating layer structure (106);

-arranging an inductor (108) at least partially in the stack (102);

-forming the inductor (108) with a conductive coil structure (110) and a magnetic core (114), the conductive coil structure being wound around a coil opening (112), wherein at least a portion of the magnetic core (114) at least partially fills the coil opening (112);

at least a portion of at least one of the coil structure (110) and the magnetic core (114) is embedded in the stack (102) as an inlay.

Aspect 31 the method of aspect 30, wherein the method includes forming at least a portion of the magnetic core (114) by laser cutting a magnet.

It should be noted that the term "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps and the "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. Also elements described in association with different embodiments may be combined.

It should also be noted that reference signs in the claims shall not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.

Implementation of the present invention is not limited to the preferred embodiments shown in the drawings and described above. On the contrary, even in the case of different embodiments of the basis, there can be a plurality of variants using the shown solution and made according to the principles of the invention.

Claims

1. A component carrier, wherein the component carrier comprises:

A stack comprising at least one electrically conductive layer structure and at least one electrically insulating layer structure;

An inductor disposed at least partially in the stack and comprising a conductive coil structure wound around a coil opening and a magnetic core, wherein at least a portion of the magnetic core at least partially fills the coil opening;

wherein at least a portion of at least one of the coil structure and the magnetic core is configured as an inlay embedded in the stack;

Wherein the core comprises a plurality of individual magnets;

wherein the magnets are connected to each other to form an open magnetic circuit with at least one non-magnetic gap separating at least two of the magnets by at least 75 μm;

Wherein the at least one non-magnetic gap comprises: an air gap; or a gap filled with an electrically insulating resin material; and

Wherein the magnetic core comprises two magnetic sheets and a central magnetic pillar sandwiched between the two magnetic sheets in a vertical direction, wherein the central magnetic pillar extends through the coil opening and the two magnetic sheets extend laterally beyond the central magnetic pillar and at least partially over the coil structure, wherein an asymmetric arrangement is formed by a magnetic paste between one end of the central magnetic pillar and one of the magnetic sheets and a non-magnetic gap between the other end of the central magnetic pillar and the other one of the magnetic sheets.

2. The component carrier of claim 1, wherein the component carrier comprises at least one of the following features:

wherein at least a portion of at least one of the coil structure and the magnetic core forms part of the stack;

Wherein the coil structure comprises interconnected conductive elements in and/or on a dielectric matrix,

Wherein the coil structure has a loop shape;

Wherein the core comprises a material having a permeability of at least 10;

Wherein the magnetic core comprises ferrite material.

3. The component carrier of claim 2, wherein the electrically conductive element comprises a planar element in a plane parallel to one or more planes of the at least one electrically insulating layer structure of the stack, and the electrically conductive element comprises one or more vertical elements connecting the planar elements and extending perpendicular to the plane of the planar elements.

4. The component carrier of claim 1, wherein the coil structure has one of a circular ring shape and a rectangular ring shape.

5. The component carrier of claim 1, wherein the magnetic core comprises a material having a permeability of at least 100.

6. The component carrier of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the magnet comprises at least one of: at least one magnetic sheet, at least one magnetic pillar and at least one magnetic paste structure.

7. The component carrier of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the magnets are connected to each other to form a closed magnetic circuit.

8. The component carrier of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the component carrier comprises at least one of the following features:

wherein the at least one non-magnetic gap separates adjacent ones of the magnets by at least 150 μm.

9. The component carrier of claim 1, wherein a surface of at least a portion of the magnetic core has a roughness Ra of less than 4 μιη.

10. The component carrier of claim 1, wherein a surface of at least a portion of the magnetic core has a roughness Ra of less than 2 μιη.

11. The component carrier of claim 1, wherein a surface of at least a portion of the magnetic core has a roughness Ra of no more than 500nm.

12. The component carrier of claim 1, wherein the component carrier is configured as a power converter.

13. The component carrier of claim 1, wherein the component carrier is configured as one of a DC/DC converter and a DC/AC converter.

14. The component carrier of claim 1, wherein the component carrier is configured as a wireless charger for wirelessly charging an electronic device.

15. The component carrier of claim 1, wherein the component carrier comprises at least one further inductor at least partially arranged in the stack and comprising a further electrically conductive coil structure and a further magnetic core, the further electrically conductive coil structure being wound around a further coil opening, wherein at least a portion of the further magnetic core at least partially fills the further coil opening.

16. The component carrier of claim 15, wherein the component carrier comprises at least one of the following features:

Wherein at least a portion of at least one of the further coil structure and the further magnetic core is configured as an inlay embedded in the stack;

Wherein the inductor and the at least one further inductor are magnetically coupled;

wherein the inductor and the at least one further inductor are configured as transformers;

Wherein at least a portion of the core of the inductor and the at least one further inductor are formed as a unitary structure.

17. The component carrier of claim 15, wherein at least a portion of the cores of the inductor and the at least one additional inductor are configured as a common magnetic sheet.

18. The component carrier of claim 1, wherein the component carrier comprises at least one component embedded therein.

19. The component carrier of claim 18, wherein the component carrier comprises at least one of the following features:

wherein the at least one component comprises at least one selected from an active component and a passive component;

Wherein the at least one component is located directly beside the coil structure;

wherein the at least one component is embedded between windings of the coil structure of the inductor;

wherein the at least one component is embedded in at least one of the stack, the coil structure, and the magnetic core;

Wherein the at least one component is an electronic component.

20. The component carrier of claim 18, wherein the at least one component is in direct physical contact with the coil structure.

21. The component carrier of claim 18, wherein the at least one component is selected from at least one of a non-conductive inlay and a conductive inlay.

22. The component carrier of claim 18, wherein the at least one component is selected from at least one of: a heat transfer unit, a photoconductive element and an energy harvesting unit.

23. The component carrier of claim 18, wherein the at least one component is selected from at least one of: active electronic components and passive electronic components.

24. The component carrier of claim 18, wherein the at least one component is an electronic chip.

25. The component carrier of claim 18, wherein the at least one component is selected from at least one of: a storage device and a filter.

26. The component carrier of claim 18, wherein the at least one component is an integrated circuit.

27. The component carrier of claim 18, wherein the at least one component is selected from at least one of: signal processing means, power management means and cryptographic means.

28. The component carrier of claim 18, wherein the at least one component is selected from at least one of: an optoelectronic interface element, a voltage converter, and an actuator.

29. The component carrier of claim 18, wherein the at least one component is selected from at least one of a transmitter and a receiver.

30. The component carrier of claim 18, wherein the at least one component is selected from at least one of: electromechanical transducers, accumulators and magnetic elements.

31. The component carrier of claim 18, wherein the at least one component is a microelectromechanical system.

32. The component carrier of claim 18, wherein the at least one component is a microprocessor.

33. The component carrier of claim 18, wherein the at least one component is selected from at least one of: capacitors, resistors, inductors, switches, cameras, and antennas.

34. The component carrier of claim 18, wherein the at least one component is a further component carrier.

35. The component carrier of claim 18, wherein the at least one component is a logic chip.

36. The component carrier of claim 18, wherein the at least one component comprises at least one selected from a resistor and a transistor.

37. The component carrier of claim 1, wherein the component carrier comprises at least one of the following features:

Wherein the at least one conductive layer structure comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of: copper, aluminum, nickel, silver, gold, palladium, and tungsten;

wherein the at least one electrically insulating layer structure comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of: a resin; glass; a prepreg material; ceramics and metal oxides;

Wherein the component carrier is shaped as a plate; and

Wherein the component carrier is configured as a laminate component carrier.

38. The component carrier of claim 37, wherein any of the mentioned copper, aluminum, nickel, silver, gold, palladium and tungsten is coated with a superconducting material.

39. The component carrier of claim 38, wherein the superconducting material is graphene.

40. The component carrier of claim 37, wherein the resin is a reinforced or non-reinforced resin.

41. The component carrier of claim 37, wherein the resin is an epoxy, bismaleimide-triazine, FR-4, or FR-5.

42. The component carrier of claim 1, wherein the at least one electrically insulating layer structure comprises at least one of: cyanate ester; polyimide; a polyamide; a liquid crystal polymer;

An epoxy-based laminate film; and polytetrafluoroethylene.

43. The component carrier of claim 1, wherein the component carrier is configured as a printed circuit board.

44. The component carrier of claim 1, wherein the component carrier is configured as a substrate.

45. An electrical device, wherein the electrical device comprises:

a support body;

the component carrier according to claim 1 mounted on and/or in the support body.

46. The electrical device of claim 45, wherein the support is a printed circuit board.

47. A method of manufacturing a component carrier, wherein the method comprises:

providing a stack comprising at least one electrically conductive layer structure and at least one electrically insulating layer structure;

At least partially disposing an inductor in the stack;

forming the inductor with a conductive coil structure wrapped around a coil opening and a magnetic core comprising a plurality of individual magnets, wherein at least a portion of the magnetic core at least partially fills the coil opening;

embedding at least a portion of at least one of the coil structure and the magnetic core as an inlay in the stack;

48. The method of claim 47, wherein the method comprises forming at least a portion of the magnetic core by laser cutting a magnet.